Former Vegas Democrat politician convicted of killing reporter faces at least 20 years at sentencing hearing

A erstwhile Las Vegas-area Democratic politician convicted of sidesplitting an investigative writer who had written captious stories astir him is acceptable to larn Wednesday however agelong helium volition walk successful situation earlier helium is eligible for parole. 

Robert Telles, who was recovered guilty of ambushing and sidesplitting Las Vegas Review-Journal newsman Jeff German extracurricular German’s location during Labor Day play successful 2022, is expected to talk astatine the sentencing hearing, a root tells Fox5 Vegas.  

German, 69, spent 44 years covering crime, courts and corruption successful Las Vegas. At the clip of German's death, Telles was the elected head of a Clark County bureau that handles unclaimed property and probate spot cases. 

A assemblage successful August acceptable Telles' condemnation astatine 20 years to life, and a justice connected Wednesday tin invoke respective sentencing enhancements to marque the minimum up to 28 years earlier Telles, 47, becomes eligible for parole. 

TELLES’ OWN TESTIMONY UNDERMINED HIS DEFENSE IN JOURNALIST’S MURDER CASE, JUROR SAYS 

Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, right, talks to Las Vegas Review-Journal newsman Jeff German successful his Las Vegas bureau connected May 11, 2022.  (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

Telles mislaid his superior for a 2nd word successful bureau aft German’s stories successful May and June 2022 described turmoil astatine the Clark County Public Administrator/Guardian office. 

In 1 of them, German wrote that "a half-dozen existent and erstwhile employees interviewed by the Review-Journal are alleging the hostile enactment situation was fueled by the elected head of the office, Robert Telles, carrying connected an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staffer that has harmed the office’s quality to woody with the nationalist successful overseeing the estates of those who person died." 

Prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments of the execution proceedings that German wasn’t finished successful his enactment of exposing Telles, which yet led the person to taking retired the seasoned journalist. 

"And helium did it due to the fact that Jeff wasn’t done writing," Hamner said. "It’s similar connecting the dots. He murdered him due to the fact that Jeff's penning destroyed his career. It destroyed his reputation. It threatened astir apt his marriage. Exposed things that adjacent helium admitted helium did not privation the nationalist to know." 

TELLES HAD HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS OF GERMAN’S HOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD, JURY IS TOLD 

Prosecutor Christopher Hamner, apical right, said during the proceedings that Telles, left, murdered German "because Jeff's penning destroyed his career." (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Pool, main and apical right, Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal via Getty.)

Telles testified for respective hours astatine his trial, admitting for the archetypal clip that reports of the bureau romance were true, according to The Associated Press. He denied sidesplitting German and said helium was "framed" by a wide conspiracy involving a existent property company, police, DNA analysts, erstwhile co-workers and others. He besides told the assemblage helium was victimized for crusading to basal retired corruption. 

However, the grounds included Telles’ DNA being recovered beneath German’s fingernails. 

Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt tin adhd up to 8 years to Telles' condemnation for utilizing a deadly limb successful a willful, deliberate, premeditated killing; due to the fact that German was older than 60 years old; and for lying successful hold earlier the attack. 

Robert Telles listens to closing arguments during his execution proceedings astatine the Regional Justice Center successful Las Vegas, connected Aug. 26. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/AP)

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Telles’ attorney, Robert Draskovich, has said Telles intends to entreaty his conviction. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.